Zamindara

The Zamindara or Rautara ( Turk + Rajput + Tatar + Pashtun ) a distinct Muslim community found mainly in the Indian province of Uttar Pradesh.[1] Members of Zamindara community who migrated to Pakistan after the independence in 1947, are settled in Karachi, Sindh.This is the community in India who practice Central Asian Turkish Culture in their life style with very distinct language which is unable to speak others. This community may also refers as " Azmi Community " or "Azmi Millet" or " Azmi Qaum " and " Rautara Biradari ". This community marriage only on the basis of Monotheism and strictly prohibtted to marry their sons and daughter in others. It is also part of their culture which is mandatory to follow all who may ever live. They adopt their own education system in their Senior Secondary School and Arabic Seminary. They are from the Hanafi School of Thought but the youths of this community are now adopting Hanbali School of Thought without anyone's influence. And their is no conflict emerging in their family. They love Azamgarh more than India. They consider Azamgarh as Their Beloved Land.

The Zamindara are the sub-group within the wider Shaikh community. Zamindara in Urdu means a landowner, and was a name given to a community of diverse origin in what is now present day eastern Uttar Pradesh. The Zamindara are said to be descendants of Turk and Rajput castes and Pathans who migrated to the region from Khorasan. Many Zamindaras were substantial landowners, and reference is made to this community in Abu'l-Fazl's, 16th-century magnum opus, Ain-i-Akbari, as the landowners of parganaNizamabad.[1]

By early 19th century, Zamindara's owing to their industry and enterprise, had substantially increased their landed possession. In addition, number of them were educated and had obtained good position in the professions and government services in erstwhile British India. [1]

The Zamindara today are mainly concentrated in district of Azamgarh but are also found in substantial number in neighbouring districts of Mau and Jaunpur, and in certain pockets of Gorakhpur and Sultanpur. They are essentially a community of landowners and prior to the abolition of the Zamindari system, held large tract of lands. They speak a distinct dialect of Awadhi among themselves, but Urdu with outsiders. They are an endogamous group and practise strict form of endogamy. The Zamindara's usually have Shaikh, Khan and Azmi as their surnames. The population of Zamindara community in Azamgarh and Jaunpur are approximately 2.5 million of which 1.2 million are Turks and pathans and 1.3 million Shaikh.